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July 18 2006

Heat wave blankets the stateBy Lucy HalversonA very warm air mass, located over central and north central South Dakota Saturday, July 15, sent temperatures soaring and broke numerous record highs around the area.

Charles Bowar, National Weather Observer at Kennebec recorded a high temperature of 112 degrees Saturday, which broke the old record of 111 set in 1931. It was 110 on Sunday.

According to the National Weather Service at Aberdeen, South Dakota, Pierre recorded a temperature of 117 degrees on Saturday. That broke the old record for July 15 of 107 set in 1936. The reading also set an all time high for Pierre and broke the previous all time record of 115 degrees, which was set on July 20, 1934 and July 23, 1940.At Mobridge a reading of 116 on Saturday broke the old record of 109 set in 1936 and also ties the all time record set on July 16, 1936.In Timber Lake the temperature soared to 112 breaking the old record of 110 set in 1936.The record high for the state of South Dakota is 120 degrees, which was set on July 5, 1936 at Gann Valley. On Saturday, the National Weather Service received a report of 120 degrees at a ranch near Usta, about 27 miles northwest of Faith. If it becomes official it will tie the record set in 1936.

Lightning strikes Sunday, July 16 caused grass fires around the state keeping fire fighters busy. Lightning started a fire south of Fort Pierre that kept firefighters from several Central South Dakota departments busy most of the day.

The blaze started about 10 a.m. Sunday morning on Lower Brule Tribal property about twelve miles south of Fort Pierre on Highway 1806. Firefighters from Fort Pierre, Four Corners, Pierre Rural, Murdo, Presho, Kennebec, Vivian, Wall, Winner, Lower Brule and the National Grasslands Departments fought the blaze throughout the day. Two Single Engine Air Tankers from the Northern Great Plains Interagency Dispatch office in the Black Hills were also sent to help put out the fire. According to the Ft. Pierre fire department about three thousand acres burned. A separate fire about 20 miles south of Fort Pierre on Highway 1806 also left 500 acres of grass burned. Fire crews had the fires mostly contained by about 7:30 p.m. Sunday night.